I got to visit the villages of Ban Talae Nok and Tung Nung Dam last weekend and experience the community-based tourism (CBT) products I am working on. First and foremost, both visits were successful as I walked away with invaluable experiences that can only happen when a guest truly feels like they are visiting/observing/taking part in a village's every day life. I also gained a better understanding of what more is needed to meet a typical guest's expectations from start to finish.

I personally felt that hands-on activities delivered far better rewards than the just watch-and-learn technique. A couple of my highlight activities were helping make soap with the ladies of Ban Talae Nok and assisting the young girls of Tung Nung Dam in making roti. Roti is a common flat bread among the local Muslim communities and quite tasty, especially when dipped in sweet condensed milk. The soap making is a new livelihood activity originally funded by the Thai government directly following the massive destruction to Ban Talae Nok from the tsunami. Similar to many government funded stories I've heard, that money left after only a few training workshops. NATR stepped in to assist with business development and long term sustainability of the endeavor. I am here at an exciting time as this product is starting to take off. Many Phuket boutiques are now selling it in gift shops and some higher class spas are looking at using it for everyday guests! For more on this, please see www.tsunamicrafts.com.

O.K....now that it is clear I am working on a marketing post, I am looking for grassroots marketing help for our CBT experiences. Please visit our site www.andamandiscoveries.com and forward me any good contacts who you think would be beneficial. We are currently targeting the independent traveller who can rough it a bit and education groups who want to learn more about CBT.

I have also got to experience my first couple business meetings with translators and learned how vital this extra step of communication is for efficient progress. Even though we have worked with the villages for almost a year in developing CBT, stepped away from villages not interested in pursuing it, and said no to some that didn't have the passion/ownership desires to successfully go for it, we are still faced with some uncertainty from the villages promoting and delivering successful products. It is all part of the major mindset difference here...people do not think past tomorrow. This is quite wonderful and a major reason for the smily, no worries, way of life here. But it does make it difficult to continue to educate villages on the long term benefits of CBT. It will continue to be interesting!!!

While life in Kuraburi is fantastic, the work is becoming more gratifying with time, and the people continue to be amazing, I am missing my lady and plan to head south next weekend for a multi-day visit!

Labels: Kuraburi, sustainable tourism, Thailand